A Royal Rendezvous
by ahsahsahs
Summary: The King and Queen have been pushing Emma to find a suitor, but headstrong Emma thinks she can run the kingdom alone. And in comes Prince Killian. Could her crush for the young Prince turn into something more? Rated M to be safe
1. Chapter 1

"King Arthur and his son will be joining us for dinner tonight," King David announced at the breakfast table, notifying Snow and Emma of their guests.

"Oh? What for?" asked the queen.

"We have business to discuss about our two kingdoms," he replied, pausing, before turning to his daughter. "Emma, I expect you to be kind to the prince."

"And what makes you think I would be anything but kind?"

Snow scoffed.

"What's that supposed to mean? Spit it out, Mother."

"Well, darling, you aren't well known for your many male companions. Everyone knows how you just dismiss any man that walks in your direction."

"Your mother's right, Emma. Just the other week when Lord Baelfire came over, you simply ignored him. It's time for you to find a suitor."

"You can't blame me for that, father. Even you didn't like him," Emma replied bluntly with a hint of annoyance.

"Whatever it is, you can't possibly run this kingdom yourself once both your mother and I are gone. You will need a king to rule beside you."

"And you expect me to find a king in this, this Prince…"

"Killian," David said, finishing her sentence. "But that's besides the point. I would just like you to try, Emma. Give this boy a chance. He could be good for you."

"Fine, for you Father." She had finally admitted defeat. She couldn't defend herself anymore. It was true, she never had a boyfriend - hell, she's never even had a _boy friend_. Retreating from the battle she knew she wouldn't win, she left the Dining Hall and made her way to her chambers.

* * *

"I can't believe him! I'm only 20! Me finding my true love won't be as easy as he did! I'm not going to go rob some prince and have him miraculously fall in love with me! And this Killian! He sounds like a boy who just cares about my title! Ugh, he's probably just another self-inflicted arse!" Emma ranted.

"Oh my, Emma. That's no way a princess should talk," Johanna replied, unsure what to say.

"Oh, Johanna, I'm sorry. I don't know what's come over me. It's just that, I feel like if I were to find my true love, _I'd _have to find him, or he'd have to fine me, not my parents setting him up for me!"

"Don't worry about it, Emma. The King and the Queen just want what's best for you. For all you know, he _could_ be your true love."

"Hmm..." she said in thought. "Do you really think I should try? Like try be with him?"

"Oh darling, do what you feel is right."

"I don't think I've even heard of him before. He doesn't seem too famous." She tried saying his name in her head, but she couldn't place it.

"Oh, but I have. The boy's captain of the Jolly Roger! He's fought many storms with his crew of men, only losing 1 in the past 4 years. The seas fear him."

"You don't mean Captain _Killian _Jones, do you! I thought his name sounded familiar! Heard anything else about this Prince Killian/Captain Jones?"

"A few stories here and there..." she said trailing off. "You know what they say... the maid knows everything." Emma had always had a soft spot for Johanna. After all, she was the only one Emma could talk to in the house. Being princess, everything was brought to you, including school, which meant she had no class mates or friends. The only friend she had was a girl who lived nearby - Ruby. But besides her, she was practically friendless.

"Oh, you do know a lot, don't you? Do tell, Johanna," Emma leaned in, intrigued to what she had to say.

"It's rude to gossip, but since he may be your suitor..."

* * *

"King Arthur and his son, Prince Killian of Darlington!" the doorman announced, as the pair stepped into the Great Hall.

"Now, Killian, remember: be civil and don't be too – how do I put this nicely - don't be too yourself," the King muttered to his son.

"Why father, I haven't a clue what you're talking about," Killian smirked.

"They have a daughter, just a bit younger than you. Please, _please _don't do anything stupid to ruin this deal that could save our kingdom, son."

"Oh Father, I wouldn't dream of it."

Once they were guided to the Dining Hall, King Arthur and the Prince were greeted by none other than the Charmings. Only, their daughter wasn't there yet. Whilst the adults started talking business, Killian wondered around the Hall, staring at the family portraits that hung high on the walls of the dining area. He spotted the princess, and noticed how much she resembled both her parents: having her father's hair colour; and her mother's chin. But it was her eyes that drew him in. Where had she gotten those bright green eyes from?

At that moment, he heard the large doors of the Dining Hall open. When he turned to see who had just entered the room, his light blue eyes caught sight of those bright green colours again. Emma was wearing a pastel pink dress that enhanced her golden hair even more.

"Ahh, this must be Emma," King Arthur said, while Emma curtsied. "Come, come Emma. Meet my son, Killian."

"It's an honour to meet you, Princess," Killian said, placing a kiss on the back of her hand, his eyes never leaving hers. For some reason, Emma couldn't help but blush at his actions. She was trying to act poised and demure like she had promised her mother to be.

"Oh, please Prince Killian, you can call me Emma. And the honour is mine."

"Well, if I get to call you 'Emma', then it's only fair you call me Killian." His smile was perfect to say the least. Not to mention his Irish accent which she wasn't sure from where he'd got it from - his father definitely didn't have the same accent. And then there were his eyes. They seemed to read her as though she was an open book. She was going crazy. She'd only spoken one sentence to him and she was feeling flustered. Both David and Snow had noticed how well Emma had taken to Killian and were pretty pleased.

"Now that we've all been acquainted, let's eat!" King David said, ushering his guests to the dining table.

Killian pulled open the chair next to his, gesturing to Emma to sit next to him. Remembering her promise to her father, she accepted and sat next to him. Once she sat down, she felt his hot breath on her neck. And he simply muttered four simple words into her ear - "Emma, you look beautiful." And just like that, her cheeks turned crimson red again, but all she conjure up for a reply was a simple smile and a small 'thank you'. The rest of the evening was spent with the adults discussing what was best for their kingdoms, while Killian would constantly tell Emma funny stories from his previous adventures. She had to admit, she hadn't laughed that much in ages, but placed at the back of her mind was the story Johanna had told her from before.

"Emma, darling, why don't you give Killian a short tour of the castle?" Snow suggested somewhere after the dessert had arrived.

"Oh, I'd love to see the castle, if you wouldn't mind taking me?" There was that smile again. How could she say no?

"It'd be my pleasure. Come on."

* * *

Emma had led Killian to the garden, her favourite place of the castle. They'd been walking in silence for a while when Killian finally spoke.

"So why did you show me the garden first?"

"Well, it's my favourite part of the castle."

"How so?" He looked curious and interested. No one had ever been so interested in what she had to say before this.

"When things get too crazy up there, I come down here and think. It's nice, the fresh air helps clear my thoughts."

"And what could be so bad for a beautiful princess like you to be stressing over?"

"Well," she started, trying to move past his compliment, "my father's always telling me how I'll have to run the kingdom one day. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to. But I want to be able to do things. To ride horses. To fight. To see the world."

"One day you'll get to do all those things. But I think your father's too scared of letting you go out in the world. It's a scary place, it is. I'd want to keep you safe in this castle too if I were him. I can see how much he cares for you." She liked him. Everything he said seemed genuine.

"Killian?"

"Yes, love?"

"Do you mind telling me another one of your stories?"

He chuckled, thinking she was going to ask him something else.

"So, somewhere at the end of last year…"

* * *

"So you see, our kingdom is in trouble now. Ever since King George's men raided our villages, our people haven't been able to recover. Our plan was to sail over to the foul man's territory, led by my son of course, and take back what they stole. But unfortunately our army isn't strong enough to survive the attack."

"Why that's terrible," David shook his head in disbelief. "But how can we help?"

"Well, I need more men to fight this war. I was wondering if you were willing to-"

"Of course! I am sure my men would be honoured to fight next to yours. I will talk to the commander tomorrow morning asking him to gather troops."

"Oh your kindness baffles me. I am forever in your debt," King Arthur responded gratefully.

* * *

"You're not serious! You didn't actually do that, did you?"

"I kid you not, Princess. There was this other time, a group of pirates had invaded the ship. They'd taken mostly everything, and then the foul pirate was about to take my dog! No one can take him! So I fought him off and almost got my head cut off for it. All for my little pup."

"Wow. You risked your life for a dog. Pretty risky, don't you think?"

"Well that was one of my biggest regrets as well. Had I not cared about a pup so much, I maybe would've been able to save Smee. He fell off the ship while defending one of my men. He was the true hero of that battle."

"You shouldn't beat yourself up too much about it. People do make mistakes, you know?" She reassured him. But then thinking about it, she sighed. "You know, listening to all your stories makes me want to go on adventures as well. I doubt I'll ever get to, though."

"Well, Princess, one day I'll take you on my ship and you'll have the greatest adventure ever."

Hearing his words, her frown turned back into the smile she wore while laughing to his stories. "You promise?"

"You have my word, love. And my word is my honour," he said, and once again his lips found the back of her hand, leaving a lingering kiss.

"Well, I think it's time to get back to the Dining Hall." She started to blush again. She needed to change the topic before he noticed how much he affected her.

"As you wish, Emma," but just as she started to walk away, he grabbed her hand and pulled her in close. "Emma, love, I've enjoyed spending this evening with you. Let's do this again. Tomorrow. I'll come around 3." He wasn't asking her permission. He was telling her. And just as she was about to reply him, she felt his lips on hers. The kiss was soft at first, as if he were scared she would pull away, but instead, her body responded - her lips deepened the kiss, whilst her hands found the back of his neck to hold on to. Seeing as she wasn't going to push away, his tongue touched her lips, asking for an entry into her mouth - an entry that she granted not too soon later. Their tongues were fighting for dominance, leaving her breathless. He broke away from the kiss first. "_Am I not a good kisser?" _she thought to herself, and as though he could read her mind, he lifted her chin with his index finger, bringing her eyes to stare into his, reassuring her by giving her one last kiss, before putting his hands into his pockets and walking back to the Dining Hall, leaving her standing alone and breathless. After a few moments, she hurriedly followed him into the Hall so that her parents wouldn't suspect anything.

* * *

Once she said goodbye to the King and his son, she ran straight to her room and fell right on her bed. Had she just made out with a prince? And did she actually start to like him? But then she thought back to what Johanna had told her – Killian had a lot of baggage, and she wasn't sure if she could handle what he was carrying. But then again, everyone had baggage. Hell, hers was heavier than most people's.


	2. Chapter 2: The First Date

**A/N: Yes, Neal is in this story, but Neal and Bae are NOT the same person. I hadn't expected to update this quickly. Anyways, hope you enjoy it!**

_"Let's do this again. Tomorrow. I'll come around 3," he said before pulling her into a kiss. She was sure that that kiss would be burnt into her mind for the rest of eternity. _

"EMMA! For God's sake wake up!" Finally, Emma stirred. Her eyes opening slowly to find Ruby standing by the side of her bed with an angry look on her face.

"Oh don't use His name in vain, Ruby. And what on earth are you doing here?" The sky outside was still dark. It was probably 4 in the morning. "Are you crazy! What time is it!"

"It's 4 am. But forget that! How could you not tell me!"

"Ruby, I have no idea what you're talking about." Truth was, she knew exactly what Ruby was talking about – she just didn't want to give in yet.

"Come on! You think I wouldn't hear that the most _charming _prince of _all_ the kingdoms had come to visit you! What do you take me for! You know how gossip gets around!"

"Oh… You mean Killian."

"So we're on first name's basis are we? As best friend, I deserve to know every single detail. And when I say 'every', I mean _every little thing."_

"Ugh. Fine." Truth be told, Emma was dying to tell Ruby. She couldn't tell her mother that she had just made out with the prince now could she. "We had dinner, he was a gentleman, he was sweet, I showed him the garden..."

"You showed him the garden? That's practically your safe haven! It took you months to bring me there!"

"Are you seriously jealous I showed him the garden?"

"Ugh, whatever, Emma. Come on! Tell me all the juicy details!"

"Well, I'm not sure if this is 'juicy' enough for you but, how do I put this? We, uh – we kissed," she said finally.

"You kissed! Oh you kissed him! Was it a French kiss? Was there tongue? Come on! Spit it out!

"Firstly, _he _kissed _me." _Ruby rolled her eyes. "And… yeah, there was tongue," she added shyly.

"Oh my god! You made out with Prince Killian! Emma this is the best thing that could ever happen to you! When's the next date? You did say yes didn't you?"

"How did you know he asked me? And I kind of didn't have time to answer him…"

"You left him hanging? Are you kidding me? Emma! He's-"

"Shut up, Ruby!" Emma said impatiently. "I didn't get to answer him because he had his tongue down my throat by that time!"

"You're kidding." Ruby's face was priceless.

"No. He _told _me that he was going to come over at 3 to spend time together - I'm not sure what's the agenda, though. And before I could say anything, he was kissing me! He technically didn't ask if I wanted to go with him."

"Emma," Ruby started, looking serious, which sort of worried her, "don't forget to make me maid of honour at your wedding, alright?" Emma rolled her eyes.

"You're annoying. And what makes you think I even like him?"

"Who do you take me for? You were practically blushing when I mentioned his name."

"Whatever. It's 4 am. Why are you up at this time anyway?"

"The usual, I followed Jefferson out drinking, then I got wind of your little date, so I came right away. Talking about Jefferson, he's pretty angry at me for leaving, so I'm gonna give him some time to cool off. Can I sleepover tonight?" Ruby pouted, trying to look cute.

Emma lifted up the duvet. "Get in. Just no more Killian-talk okay?"

The brunette haired girl slid under the covers. "Mhm. Promise." And within the minute, both of them were asleep.

* * *

At 2 in the afternoon that day, Emma couldn't help but feel nervous. It wasn't too late to back out. She could just tell him that she was busy or something. But then she thought about his eyes. Those light blue eyes that stared right through her. He was charming as hell and his lips made her feel like she was in heaven. She had never let anyone in before. No, she was lying to herself again. There was one person she made the mistake of letting in – Neal. Neal had been her first love - her only love. But once he felt like he had enough, he left. He left her with a gaping hole in her heart, no note and no goodbye – just an "I'm sorry, Ems. But I can't do this anymore". He hadn't even told her what made him change his mind. He just walked right out of her life. Ever since Neal, she had never been able to let anyone in, but for some reason, Killian managed to find his way over the high walls she had built in a few short hours of meeting her. It scared her. She never intended to like him this much. He was just probably going to leave her, just like Neal did. But, she thought to herself, what if he was different? What if he's not like Neal? She should at least let him have this one date, shouldn't she? One date wouldn't hurt.

"Emma!" she snapped back into reality. "Helloooo? Emma? Are you listening?"

"What? Oh, sorry Ruby. I was just thinking."

"Stop thinking about whatever it was, and think about what you're going to wear! He's going to come in an hour isn't he!"

"Right. Um, he said dress casually," recalling the note she had received from him earlier in the day.

"Okay, that does not help. How about this?" Ruby held out a skirt and a low cut blouse.

"I am not trying to seduce him Ruby. And those are your clothes! I would never wear anything like that!"

"Fine! Hmm let's see. Ah!" she held out a pair of black pants and a white shirt. "Decent enough for the Princess?"

"Shut up," she joked before grabbing the clothes and heading towards the bathroom.

* * *

"He's here, Emma! Your hair looks nice, everything looks good, you're beautiful as ever!"

"Ruby, calm down." She could sense how excited she was. Before they reached the Great Hall, Ruby fixed Emma's hair again. "Ruby, enough!" she said, slapping her hands away.

"Fine, I didn't know it was criminal to help your best friend look perfect on her date."

"Oh god. Come on."

When they entered the hall, she saw him standing by the door, admiring the paintings around him. Only when Ruby purposely coughed, did he turn around to her. He gave Emma the smile that made her blush again.

"Emma… You look beautiful," he said while walking towards her. "And who might this be?"

"This is-" Emma started before being cut short.

"Hi, I'm Ruby. I'm Emma's _best _friend," she introduced herself, a little too eagerly. "So that means, if you hurt her, I'll kill you," she added offering him a tight-lipped smile. All Emma could do was roll her eyes.

"I wouldn't dream of it. I'm Killian." He gave a slight bow.

"Nice to meet you, Killian. Unfortunately, I have somewhere to be, so I'll leave you two to your date." Ruby gave Emma a peck on her cheek, curtsied to Killian and made her way out of the castle.

Killian laughed to himself. "She's um interesting."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about her. She get's like that a lot."

"No apologies necessary," he smiled. "Should we get going?"

"Where _are _we going anyway?"

"I gave you my word." There was that smile again. "So, we're going to teach you how to ride a horse."

"You're kidding!" Emma was in disbelief. She didn't think he would've remembered her little remark about the horses.

"Like I said, Princess, my word is my honour." He led her out of the Great Hall and into the waiting carriage. The whole ride, Killian couldn't help but smile to himself. It made him happy to see Emma this excited. After five minutes of Emma rambling on about how grateful and excited she was, they reached an empty field. Killian got out of the carriage first, waiting to help Emma down.

"Now, being the gentleman I am, you get to choose which horse you want." He gestured to the two horses: one brown with a white spot on the back of its hind leg, and one that was fully white. She looked at them both carefully, as though this decision could cost her her life, when she finally picked the white one. "Ahh, I thought you would take this one. Let me help you get up. Okay, first put your foot into the stirrup," he explained, as Emma followed his instructions. Once her foot was in place, Killian put his hands on her small waist and lifted her up onto the horse. "There, you're all ready to go." He smirked, looking at how she had a mixture of both excitement and fear on her face.

Once he got on the other horse, he smirked again. "You ready, Princess?"

* * *

An hour after, they got off their horses and sat down beneath the nearby tree, where Killian had a little picnic prepared. She didn't know how to feel about all of this. It was weird being treated like this. It wasn't like she wasn't treated well in the castle, she just was never treated with so much love before. _Love?_ What was she talking about? He didn't love her. He couldn't possibly love her. They'd only just met.

"Emma, love?"

"Hm? Oh sorry!" She felt bad that she wasn't paying attention to him after all the effort he'd put into this.

"No need to apologise. What's on your mind, may I ask?"

"Oh no, it's nothing."

"Come on, tell me. I won't bite, unless you want me to of course." He winked after saying the last part. She knew he was trying to lighten the situation.

"Well, Johanna, my maid told me something about you…" she trailed off.

"Nothing too bad, I hope?"

"No, no, it's not bad," she reassured him. "I just don't think it's fair that I know something about you without you knowing…"

"What did she tell you?" He looked confused.

"She – uh – she told me about Milah…"

"Ahh, and you didn't think it was fair that you knew something so personal about me without me having to choose to tell you."

"Well, yea," she replied awkwardly.

"Yes, the story of Milah and I is quite famous for some reason. Well, you see, Milah was what _they _call my 'first love'. You could say we were in love. Well, I thought we were. Anyway, every time I went on a voyage, I could expect her to be waiting for me at the docks, welcoming me home. I was always sure of that. Then one time, I had to come back earlier than I had expected because my mother was ill. So when she wasn't at the docks to welcome me, I got worried. I went to her house to see if she was okay. I opened her door to find another man lying in her bed. I couldn't even look her in the eye after that. It was horrible. The affair had been going on for 3 months, she said. I never spoke to her since."

"Oh, Killian, I'm so sorry. You didn't have to tell me, you know."

"No, I want you to know. God knows how much the story has been modified as it goes around town. I needed you to know the truth."

"In that case, thank you. She doesn't deserve you anyway."

"D'you mean that?"

"Of course," she smiled. "You're a good man, Killian. I've known you at most a day and look at the trouble you went through so I'd enjoy myself. You deserve someone who'd treat you right."

"I appreciate it, Emma. Plus, a girl like you deserved to be pampered. Anyway, it's getting dark, my lady, shall we head back?" He got up and extended his hand to pull her up. "I should get you back before your parents have my head."

"They like you. So if they were to have your head, it'll be as painless as possible." It was her turn to smirk while he just chuckled. He helped her back into the carriage and started their way back to the castle.

Once they arrived back to the castle, he helped her down again. She really didn't need his help, she thought to herself, but it was nice of him to treat her so delicately. At the doors of the castle he stopped.

"Thank you for coming with me, Emma. I really appreciate it."

"I should be thanking you. I had a really good time, Killian. Thank you again for an amazing time." Her eyes met his, and this time, she was the one to make the move first. She tiptoed so her lips could reach his. Her hands found the back of his neck, while his found her waist. He deepened the kiss this time, his tongue exploring her mouth. She broke from the kiss and her eyes found his once again. His hand touched her jawline as he tucked her golden hair at the back of her ear. He took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles gently, before she turned and walked towards the doors of the castle. But before she entered, she heard him call her.

"Emma! I'll see you soon, then?"

"We'll have to see about that!" She gave him one last smile before disappearing into the castle walls.

On her way up to her chambers she ran into both her parents.

"Emma! Where are you going? Dinner's just been served," her father said.

"Um, not hungry, Father." She tried to run off, but her father grabbed her arm.

"Where were you from anyways?" he added, noticing her clothes.

"I, - uh – I was with Killian."

"You were, were you?" her mother asked, with a slight grin.

"You did tell me to play nice with him, didn't you?" she replied, before wriggling her way out of her father's grip and scurrying to her chambers.

"I recognise that look anywhere, David," the queen said quietly to her husband.

"What look?" He was confused. He might've told his daughter to be nice, but he didn't expect her to be dating the prince.

"It's the same look I had once I started to figure out that I loved you."

* * *

"Oh yes, Killian," his father started, after chewing his food. "I almost forgot to tell you. You're going to be sailing the Jolly Roger to King Arthur's land at the end of next week."

"Wait, what?" Killian wasn't paying attention. His mind was still on Emma.

"Remember we discussed this before? King David has agreed to loan us his men to fight with us. You're going to be captaining the ship."

"Oh, right. Do you have any estimate to how long this voyage will take, Father?"

"It's safe to say it'll take more or less two months. The journey there takes quite awhile."

"Yes, Father." This was what he was worried about. He didn't want to leave for too long. He had just met Emma. If he was gone for too long, she might move on. Knowing he couldn't say no, the rest of dinner was eaten in silence.

**A/N: Ooooo. How will Emma take the news of Killian leaving? You gotta wait and see! :)**


End file.
